Category Archives: Technology

As technology enables us to do more we begin to feel overwhelmed with options and have the potential to end up with less. This concept is extremely relevant in the digital world of photos. Digital cameras and computers with next to infinite memory have allowed us to take photos of every moment of our lives. What can be done to enjoy and benefit from these opportunities?

Software to Stay Organized

First off, you need a way to keep all your photos organized. The top two pieces of software are from Google and Apple. Google provides slightly better photo editing and online syncing while Apple’s software will be preferred by those who want a simpler interface. With either one, you will be one step closer to better photo management.

Sharing Photos

Once you begin to get a grip on all your photos, begin to get real value from your photos by sharing them online and ordering books, cards, and more. For online sharing, consider the following options.

Facebook – Since everyone you know is already on the site, use the uploading tools from Picasa or iPhoto to quickly share with friends and family what is going on.

PicasaWeb – Google’s online photo sharing is an easy way to share all your albums with friends and allow them to download your photos too! You get 1 GB for free and then another 5GB for an unbelievably cheap $5 annually (most sites charge $25+ for this).

Shutterfly– The well known photo site allows you now to set up a personal webpage with access to your newest albums and pictures just like a photo blog. You get unlimited space and others can buy your photos from Shutterfly but cannot download them.

Photo Books – After uploading your photos to a site to share, be sure to order a photo book. This the easiest way to show friends and family when they stop by your home and it will make you look like a professional.

More Fun with iPhone Apps

Path – a photo sharing app that only allows you to have 50 friends and family so that you stay focused on sharing with those closest to you

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Instagram – a enjoyable photo app that lets you take photos and then apply retro filters before sharing with friends and followers

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How do you keep all your photos organized? Critique me or share your own tips in the comments below.
(photo credit: Shutterstock)

I recently experienced a home burglary and through the incident I have learned a lot. Although worse things can happen, coming home to a house that has been broken into is a traumatic experience. Losing “stuff” hurts a little, but more so are the lost memories, like photos on a computer, and the lost sense of safety a home typically provides. Here are some lessons I have learned from the experience. While not exhaustive, following these tips will leave you be better prepared if your home is ever targeted. Feel free to add your tips in the comments section.

Minimizing the Risk

First off, when a home is burglarized, it is because burglars chose it over other homes for some reason. Finding ways to prevent your home from being targeted is a great place to start. Consider the following.

Use long screws into a solid frame on dead bolt locks to make it hard to kick in doors

By combining the ideas above, you will be even more safe (e.g. if your alarm is going off and a neighbor sees a suspicious car they are more likely to call the police and write down vehicle information than if there is no alarm or the neighbor thinks it is your car).

Protect Memories

Even though your home is now a less attractive target and burglars have limited time to steal stuff, you still may want to take further precautions to protect important items in your house that are harder to replace.

For computer files, consider an online data backup program like Mozy or Carbonite (~$50/yr). While potentially more expensive than an external hard drive, online backup is easy to set up and can’t be stolen by intruders.

Scan important papers and photos onto your computer too. This helps in the event of a burglary and other events like a tornado, flood, or fire.

Tag your pets. In case your dog or cat gets out through a door left open, make sure it has a collar with your phone number on it and a microchip that vets can use to identify your pet in an online database.

Protect Value

In addition to preserving memories, you definitely want to make sure you have taken the right steps for preserving value. Great insurance helped us quickly replace lost items.

Understand the deductible on your home in the case of a burglary. The deductible amount will reduce how much money insurance gives you but also reduces your annual premium.

Document expensive items in your home by taking pictures and savings receipts.

Save serial numbers to help the police identify stolen items and to prove ownership.

Download some tracking software to help find computers that have been stolen. Something as simple as free backup software like Dropbox will identify the IP address of a stolen computer when it is connected to the internet. You can find the internet provider of an IP address and the police can work with them to find the physical mailing address where a stolen computer is located.

In the event of a burglary, file a police report as soon as possible and let them know what has been stolen to the best of your knowledge. This will make the insurance process easier.

The more you do, the better your chances are at preventing a burglary or getting through one with minimal losses. You may never be perfectly protected, but it’s always helpful to be prepared.

Ever since the inception of Napster over ten years ago, online and free music has been the pursuit of people everywhere. The rise and fall of various music-sharing sites and complicated legal battles has made the process of gaining unbridled access to all your heart’s content of music a difficult undertaking. Thankfully, the music industry is slowly warming up to free online music discovery, and below are great places to start when you want to hear your favorite song for free legally.

Free Music Online

There are a number of great sites for hearing free music online, but most limit your access to songs you own or offer random playlists of songs you may like. One site that rises above the rest in its ability to provide all the music you want is Grooveshark. The ad supported Grooveshark website offers full access to any song you can think of along with the ability to set up a playlist, skip ahead in songs, and listen to radio stations featuring music you like. Although you are not able to download music directly to your computer, you should find Grooveshark as a great way to access the music you want for free.

Free Music Discovery

Another type of useful online service is music discovery. Pandora is the most well know music discovery website and offers music lovers of all types the ability to create a custom radio station. To start, you just need to submit a song you like and Pandora plays similar music. Thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons then allow you to identify to the service what you really enjoy and the service can then better target new music for you to hear.

Mobile Access to Music

While free online music is slowly becoming a reality, the ability to access that music on the go has been significantly limited. Music discovery services are available though and come as apps on popular phones like the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android phones. Similar to Pandora, a service called Slacker offers a list of popular music styles to choose from in a radio format. If you are really desperate for an unlimited catalog on your phone then check out Rhapsody. While the service will set you back $10/month, you will be able to hear any song you want, whenever you want, and wherever you want.

Go to www.fancast.com/mydvr and follow the links to activate your myDVR service. You’ll be taken through a few pages to sign in and check availability in your area. Finally, you’ll choose to activate your DVR which may take up to 24 hours.

Using myDVR Online from Comcast

Using the myDVR Manager online is very simple and easy to use, and Comcast will enjoy getting more visitors on their fancast site. On the site you’ll find a TV guide similar to what you see on your TV. You can look up shows by channel and time plus filter by popular groups like Movies, Sports, and HD. Once you find a show you want to record, select it and then click “Record Episode” or “Record Series”. Next you will find an interface similar to that on your DVR box where options on how often to record and what to keep are available. The myDVR Manager button (below) is always available and lets you manage the priority of shows and see what upcoming recordings you have.

Mobile Access to myDVR

Best of all, the Comcast myDVR service is available via the Comcast Mobile app on the iPhone and iPad. The app has a guide similar to the one online where you select the shows you want to record and then “Schedule a Recording”. The mobile services are essential to making this service great and have been executed well. I can’t believe I’m thanking Comcast for something, but this is a service I plan to use. What about you? Let other readers know in the comments below.

Most of us have a bunch of old electronics lying around. If they still work you may be able to recoup some value from them by selling them online, and if they don’t work you can recycle them for free. There are a score of websites out there that you can use to sell or recycle your old electronics which is great both for you and the environment.

When I bought an iPhone, one of the selling points was that it replaced my regular cell phone and iPod. These still worked well and I didn’t want them to just go to waste. I knew they had some value but wasn’t sure how to get it from them. Here are some tips I found when researching ways to extract value from old electronics.

What You Can Sell or Recycle Online

Almost any electronic you have can be sold online. The better the condition the more money, but even if it is broken you will probably enjoy clearing out space in your office or closets by getting rid of old electronics. Here are some of the most common items you can sell online.

Cell phones

iPods

Digital cameras

PDAs

Gaming devices

DVDs

Computers

Where to Sell Them

Online recycling sites ask questions regarding the condition of your device to determine value and will pay for your shipping costs. They do almost all the work for you making the process of cleaning out your old electronics extremely easy. I tested the interfaces and value calculators with an old iPod mini that I am planning to sell or recycle.

BuyMyTronics.com – offers great value, erases all data, and is environmentally friendly

For a little more work and potentially more value, check out the online auction site eBay. On eBay you will have to go through the process of setting up an auction, receiving money, and shipping the item, but it may be worth it. Research recent auctions to determine the going price and decide if it’s worth your time.

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Cash is a great system that helps many people control their spending, but for those who have taken hold of their budget there is a great benefit of cashless systems like online banking. The newest method of exchanging money that may lead the way in the next decade is paying over your mobile phone via text message. One of the best young companies to offer the service is Venmo.

How Do I Pay With Text

Paying via text is very similar to paying via email and online with PayPal. You essentially tell Venmo who you want to pay and how much and Venmo will arrange the transaction. This requires an account to be set up with Venmo prior to or following the transaction so that you can move the money into your normal checking account.

The format for sending money with texts is fairly intuitive.

Pay <number or username> <amount> for <memo line>

For example, if you need to send me $10 for dinner you would text the following to Venmo (646-863-9557)

Benefits and Concerns of Paying With Text

Free – Unlike PayPal, transactions are free when using the Venmo network.

Easy – Request money from people who owe you (Venmo has a “Trust” feature to instantly charge friends in your network for money)

There are also some concerns with paying via text, but hopefully these will get cleared up as the concept becomes more mainstream.

Security – Is it safe? Venmo helps by letting users cancel transactions within 24 hours online and recommends that users use a PIN to lock their phone. Other competitors require a PIN for each transaction to help add a level of security.

Simplicity – Not everyone wants to set up another account online to manage money, but Venmo helps make this easy by allowing users to sync bank accounts straight from the phone

Ubiquity – Until the service gets popular it may be hard to explain to your friends why they should pay with text. The concept has gained more familiarity, though, with the “Text to Haiti” campaign which helped raise over $50M.

Try It Out

Venmo is available via private invitations only right now, but has provided me with 25 invitations for my readers. Use the invite code “obsessed-25” to try it out. After signing up, let me know what you think or send the following text message to Venmo (646-863-9557) to donate $1 to the blog.

I love the utility of the iPhone 3GS, but am often scared the shiny screen won’t last. I decided to try out a state of the art screen protector to protect my state of the art device. The ZAGG invisibleSHIELD is a highly marketed screen protector for the iPhone and other similar gadgets. In the over-supplied world of iPhone accessories – and particularly screen protectors – the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD tries to distinguish itself by claiming to be the “gold standard” of screen protectors. The dilemma I decided to tackle was to find out if the high price ($24.95 retail) was worth it.

In a world of obsessive spammers and underage hackers, one must defend himself/herself with valor. In order to do this, you need to find an army (free antivirus software) you can trust to do the job. I’ve taken my time to find everything you need to make sure the worst doesn’t happen on your computer.